Open fairways, quiet pressure and a scorecard that remembers everything. This year’s West Plains High School golf team steps into those spaces with a veteran core and the kind of experience that tends to matter when rounds get heavy.
Head Coach Brenton Bush didn’t hesitate when laying out the core of the lineup.
“For our starting five, we’ve got Ashby Wood, we’re going to have Johnny Sutherland, Tayt Duggins, Jared Kraft [and] Cam Roberts,” he said.
The team has a senior-heavy spine.
Wood, Sutherland, Kraft and Roberts anchor the group with years behind them, while Duggins, a junior, slots in among the front line.
The Zizzers have one more senior on the squad, Edson Ford, and Brooks Cobb is a junior, with the remaining six players on the roster listed as freshmen and sophomores.
This group has seen real competition. Bush pointed to a pair who have already tested themselves on the biggest stage available.
“We have two state returners, so we’re really going to rely on their leadership,” he said.
That responsibility falls squarely on Wood and Sutherland, both of whom competed at the Class 4 State Championships last season. Wood finished 36th, while Sutherland placed 67th.
If there’s a tone-setter in this bunch, Bush made it clear who carries that weight. He described Wood not just as a competitor, but as something closer to an extension of the staff.
“Ashby Wood, since the first day of practice, he’s really just taken over,” Bush said. “He’s almost like an assistant coach, he’s just out there doing the right thing at all times, and helping with the underclassmen.”
That kind of presence matters, especially for a roster that gets younger the further you look past the starting five. Bush acknowledged the inexperience, but didn’t sound particularly concerned about it.
“We’re young when it comes to the lower classmen, but we are very optimistic,” he said.
